Girls aren't boys (and that's OK)

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Crossing the road causes road rage

Yes, it appears that I can’t even push my bicycle across the road without incurring the wrath of road users.

What’s this you say? Surely not? I fear it’s true. You see, there’s this particularly scary roundabout on my cycle route to/from work. On the way in, I take the first left, cruising around (usually under the cover of another car) so it’s not a big issue. On the way home, however, I have to go ALL the way round. It’s big, busy and MVs (motorised vehicles) take it really fast.

I tried it once, a few weeks ago. I entered, indicated right, did my lifesaver and saw a Golf enter the island behind me. I indicated again and moved right to take my lane not get pushed out onto the first exit. Just as I approached the first exit, still indicating, he dove around me and cut me off (not indicating, by the way), so close, that he actually had to turn left to get around me and off the roundabout. Mission accomplished: he scared me off the roundabout. One more girl bike rider has had the MV Bejeezus scared out of her. Nice job, prick, because I’ll be back. After a while, at least, when I’m stronger and faster. So, now, instead of going all the way around, I jump onto the pavement and push my bike the short way around and across the road to get back on and wait for a safe gap to push off. If I’m being entirely honest, I ride round if there are no pedestrians. But that’s another argument for another day. I certainly won’t be adding to the death toll of TWO pedestrians killed by cyclists since 1999. And I most definitely don’t want to be the 1000th cyclist killed by an MV in the last 12 months.

The pavement ends on the one side just as it begins on the other side, so there’s actually a very limited space to make the crossing. The very first day I did this, I waited for a gap and got half way across the road before a car came off the roundabout at quite a speed, so I got stuck halfway. I had to wait for about 4 or 5 cars to go by (this is Surrey, so no one will slow down, let alone stop, for you). In the meantime, a stuck up horsey type in a volvo came bearing down on me, blowing her horn.

For crossing the road.

Yep, I was beeped by a car for walking across the street PUSHING my bike, in the ONLY place on that stretch of raod with a pavement on both sides of the road. So, it appears that even pedestrians (who have right of way, by the way) have lost their rights to use the road to the almighty “road tax paying” car driver.

For the time being, I’ll take the horn (pardon?) over the roundabout, but it won’t stop me bitching about it.